We sipped complimentary jasmine tea and viewed a vast menu’s mix of western and more authentic far.

On a chilly early autumn evening we were in the market for soup, but not quite in the spirit of adventure for a bowl of our hosts’ ground chicken and fungus selection.

The fish maw with barbecued duck (medium bowl, $8.95) was delicious, well-steeped in the flavour of its fowl and prominently flavoured also by shiitake mushrooms. Its lazy-dense broth was given a crunchy texture with sliced shoots of sweet pea, carrots, bamboo and water chestnuts.

Fine-ground pepper on our table perked up the broth perfectly, as Mizue discovered.

The medium soup bowl at Ho Won is significant enough for a table of five and as we soon discovered, hefty portions are the rule. We should have brought a few friends.

Among the appetizers we found what Mizue craved — jellyfish, which in this case was served with three other kinds of seafood ($11.95).

A plate heaped with crunchy, tender jellyfish soon arrived, teamed with shrimp, squid and scallops that were all very minimally cooked as to seem almost raw.

This wonderfully supple seafood was infused with sesame oil and given a modest crunchiness by sesame seeds and green onions. A fresh cilantro garnish supplied an herbal edge.

Our server in white shirt and burgundy bow tie next delivered one of the Ho Won’s signature dishes, their salt and pepper squid ($11.95).

The tender squid was clad in a fairly light batter but one not flaky.

The small mountain of squid with its white onions and green peppers were generously sprinkled with chili peppers. Our expectations were fulfilled.

Our main carb was the special fried rice ($8.50) which was well-appointed with shrimp, peas, onions chicken and barbecued pork.

Another on our table under the “special” rubric was the chow mein ($8.95).

A very tasty dish, its noodles were softened in a savoury sauce. A little tardy to our table was the Chinese-style beef tenderloin hot plate and wasn’t what we were expecting. It was beef of the more gingered persuasion, in a sweet tomato-based sauce studded with white onions and pineapple.

Nevertheless, the Ho Won delivered the goods in a way that took me back to the Chinatown of my youth.